Precedent
by your-biohazardous-friend
Summary: A collection of short stories/drabbles circling around Prompto and his friendship with Noctis (and to some extend with king Regis as well) prior to the game. All the stories are in more-or-less connected with eachother but could also be read separately (unless obvious numbering is too obvious to avoid).
1. Flowers

_Final fantasy XV_ and it's characters © _Square Enix_

* * *

 **FLOWERS**

The king stared at the teen before him. The blond's cheeks were red as tomato. Hands visibly shaking. Eyes wide in panic, glossy with tears. Clarous snickered, making the boy redden even more.

"happy birthday, your majesty" the teen piped out, Regis smiled and took the bouquet from the high schooler's sweaty palms.

The kid immediately hid behind Noctis.

"thank you… erm…" King glanced at his son who smiled coyly in return.

No help from him, it seemed.

"P-Prompto" blond kid suggested "Argentum… Prompto Argentum, sir… your majesty- Highness"

"ah, yes… Prompto" Another smile and nod "thank you, son"

If Regis though that the young man's blush couldn't be more prominent, he was wrong. The redness of kid's cheeks looked like a raging fever making the kid's freckled blotch on his skin.

The king made a mental note to ask Ignis to buy this poor soul a savior-vivre manual. If he was to tag along the prince for a little bit longer he ought not to make such faux-passes.

Chrysanthemums are funeral flowers in Lucis, especially white ones.


	2. Camera I

_Final fantasy XV_ and it's characters © _Square Enix_

A/N: an obvious product placement is obvious and the author is fully aware of it. Just as the boy band is self-aware of Cup Noodles side quest.

* * *

 **CAMERA I**

First time Prompto sneaked in his camera, and oh, so dared to take a picture not only inside the castle but also of the prince and his father ended with disaster.

It was supposed to be a casual photo. A perfect KODAK moment… If KODAK was still a thing - King Regis was wearing the ugliest, shapeless, sweater imaginable (which Prompto later learned was knitted for his majesty by his late wife - Queen Aulea), while Noctis stuffed so many peanuts to his cheeks that he looked like a hamster in heaven.

However, milliseconds after the camera flash, Prompto was tackled to the ground by an almost two hundred kilos of muscle, armour and weaponry in a shape of a Glaive named Sigimund.

The camera, of course, got broken in the process just like few of Prompto's ribs. That day, the photographer-to-be learned a valuable lesson about status quos and freedom of press in Lucis.


	3. HERE TO STAY

**disclaimer:** _Final Fantasy XV_ (c) Square Enix

 **A/N** : I have a headcanon that at Lucis', workweek is from Monday to Saturday.

* * *

 **HERE TO STAY**

Noctis was exited. Of course, to the outsider, he was gloomy as always, but Prompto spent enough time with the prince to pick up nuances - to know something was up. From twirls and swirls of the pen, sideways glances at the clock to restless right leg, Noctis was a ball of nerves.

The question was why?

Maybe king Regis finally gave in and promised to help him with his driving skills? Or Ignis got sick, so there would be few days of _freedom, at last_? Or maybe Gladio finally broke a bone or two, which meant that the prince would finally had an chance in winning a match against the mountain of a man that was Noctis' sworn shield?

The high-pitched ring of a school bell pierced the monotone lecture of the chemistry teacher. Scraping of chairs, shuffling of bags, white noise of elevated voices announced the end of a school day. Sweet, sweet, Saturday afternoon! They were all free till Monday morning.

"you wanna hit the arcades?" Prompto asked, trying to postponed the inevitable parting with his best friend.

He hated to be alone – each day, every day – but today was special. Today the empty house hurt like heck.

Noctis looked surprised.

"I thought-" he begun, gipping the strap of his bag tightly "we're going to your place"

Prompto knitted his brows, confused.

"I wanted to… you know, wish you happy birthday and stuff."

"what?"

"don't tell me you're one of those _special_ people who forget their own birthdays!" Noctis sounded offended, as if the sheer idea of forgetting such occasion was a blasphemy.

"nah! I remember! I just didn't expect you knew! That's all" Prompto didn't plan anything for today really.

For him, the celebration was the same every year. He would treat himself with his favourite take out, marathon animes and play games as he waited for text messages from his parents. That was all.

"I'm your friend" Noctis stated sternly – sounding eerily similar to his grandfather when he'd delivered his war speeches that Prompto always listened to before every exam to psych himself up.

"I don't even have a cake" the blond admitted.

Noctis was having none of that, his heritage became even more prominent. Prompto once saw a similar scowl – at a photo of teenage king Regis that was part of an exhibition held by Insomnia Royal Gallery as a part of an anniversary of his coronation.

"buuuut… we can drop by the bakery and buy those tiny, mini-cakes" the blond suggested.

Noctis looked pleased with the idea.

* * *

The cakes were delicious, especially accompanied with a steaming mug of Ebony and few rounds of _King's Knight_.

Noctis was still anticipating, as if finally everything fell into place and they were approaching the grand finale of his scheme. Prompto let the story unfold.

He thanked and nodded when his friend sang him _happy birthday_ song and said the wishes, awkwardly shaking his hand.

The blond didn't hold back on his excitement when he unwrapped a gift from his friend. Even though the camera wasn't anything overblown, it was still infinitely better than the one he had before it met it's demise under the Glaive's weight.

But the true surprise came with the second gift. Not only that he _got_ the second gift but that the mysterious brick (by the weight of it) wrapped in a fancy, black wrapping paper, turned out to be a… book. Children's book as indicated by animals on the cover.

"it's awesome!" Prompto flicked through the pages, stopping from time to time to marvel upon rich, vivid colours and elegant drawings of grand social events depicted on each page. The various animals were at the theater watching a play, at museum looking at sculptures, dining at restaurants, shaking hands, dancing (Prompto especially liked a pair of chocobos dancing a folk dance) and having small talks while drinking wine.

"after the fiasco with flowers-" Noctis begun "my dad thought you needed a helping hand, so he commissioned a photocopy of that book. He apologizes for gifting you a copy but the original is, ah…an _heirloom_. He hopes you'd understand"

Heirloom? Prompto opened the book on the first page.

Seeing the editorial column the blond commoner almost choked on his own tongue.

The original book was almost two hundred years old! Not only that! It was, quite literally, one of the kind. Written and drawn just for the future heirs of the Caelum's family line.

It was a savior-vivre manual for _royal children_.

Then it all clicked.

"It's oh my gods!" Prompto held the reprint as it was the ring of Lucis "I can't take it" he showed the book back to Noctis' hands.

"why?" Noctis looked hurt "I know it's just a-"

"do you know how much it's worth!?" Prompto piped out

"I told you it's just a re-print"

"you don't understand! At one photography forum there was a guy, _SkIrTcHaSeR69_ , who three years ago took a photo of a cover of that book. It was out of focus, weirdly framed, oddly cropped, awfully blurred- no matter!" The blond took a deep breath " _tl;dr_ , he got filthy rich for that one really bad pic a-and you're standing here, handing me a high quality photocopy, no! A re-print and you have a nerve to _apologize_ for not giving me the _original_?"

"it was dad's idea" the prince was panicking "you have to take it! Page one hundred twenty seven of _that book_ explains why it's rude to turn down gifts like that" raven haired teen showed the book back to the commoner's hands "and my dad even wrote you a dedication! See?"

The blond had no choice but to look and read. It was more of a footnote really.

But, damn, his majesty was a pro in a game of cursive.

 _I hope you're here to stay._

 _-RLC CXIII._

Prompto almost fainted.


	4. good manners

_Final Fantasy XV_ franchise © _Square Enix_

* * *

 **GOOD MANNERS**

It was Prompto's first official dinner at the castle that didn't involve trespassing the kitchen area and sneaking out bowls of stew and stealing pork chops from the pans – now he was an official guest, not a pest (as the cook called him time and time again).

He was asked to come as the prince's friend. Nothing important. Casual event… for royal standards of course.

Prompto, gods bless his soul, came dressed in a suit. Or rather appeared to be a suit but, upon a closer inspection, was just a blazer and jeans.

An odd combination that was.

'It was the best Prom had, on such a short notice' Noctis explained 'furthermore the commoners call such get-up _business casual_ and it's deemed an appropriate attire for semi-formal meetings'.

Asked how can an attire be _both_ business and casual, the prince just shrug his shoulders.

'Prompto,' Noctis explained the logic behind his friend's outfit, 'decided if his clothes were good enough for a job interview they were good enough for a royal court meeting'.

The mental gymnastics of that young man often left Regis baffled.

The king sighed and glanced at the arrangement of forks and spoons - A precise rows of utensils, shining in the dim light of chandeliers – quickly deciphering what would be served for today's feast. Lobster would be one of them… great, Noctis liked seafood, he wouldn't make any scenes as long as the cooks didn't overdo salads.

On the prince's left side, Prompto locked his gaze at the same items the king was looking – however he appeared paler than minutes ago, his eyes got bigger and bigger with confusion and fear.

Regis chuckled.

Prompto must have not yet read that chapter from his savior-vivre manual, if he decided to read that thick brick anyway.


	5. camera II

_Final Fantasy XV_ franchise © _Square Enix_

* * *

 **CAMERA II**

Prompto was up and running the same second as the doorbell rang. He almost fell down the stairs as he haphazardly skipped few steps in three leaps. He flung the door open.

"registered delivery" the older man announced at the gate "for Argentum Prom-"

"that's me" The blond announced aiming to snatch the thin envelope from the man's grip, however what Prompto grasped was just air.

"sign first" the man announced holding the letter up to his head - years of service at Lucis' post office made him quite deft.

Prompto signed the document with the most hastily and sloppy sign, almost messing up the date.

When the postman was finally content with the formalities and the delivery ended up in Prompto's hands, the teen tore it on the spot.

"so happy for your ID?" the man looked surprised at the item in teen's hands – it was, indeed, a plastic ID, slid into a black ID holder on a black neck strap "boy, oh, boy. Going drinking tonight?" the man chuckled.

"nah…" Prompto's grinned "just taking some family photos" his slender fingers lovingly traced Lucis' crest on the piece of plastic then move to bold _PRESS PASS_ written on the side.


	6. FIRECRACKER

**disclaimer:** _Final Fantasy XV_ (c) _Square Enix_

* * *

 **FIRECRACKER**

If Regis had to choose one word to describe his son's new-found friend it would be ' _firecracker' -_ A small insignificant thing that make a loud, sharp noise and blinding flash of light, that somewhat people of all ages, but mostly kids and teens, deemed _fun_.

The blond was just that - A flash of a camera, thud of a body hitting tiled floor, a hurtful whine of discomfort.

Laughter.

Heartily one at that.

Noctis'.

Regis wanted to raise from his throne, rush through the cold, marble corridors and hug the commoner tightly for achieving something that even the court's jester couldn't.


	7. LIFE HACK

**Disclaimer** : _ **Final Fantasy XV**_ (c) _Square Enix_

* * *

 **LIFE HACK**

Fast food was something that Regis did not eat. Last time he had anything remotely placed near fast food item was in his early twenties, when, at the road-side diner near Hammerhead, he'd stolen few fries from Cid's plate.

Of course his diet regime was not solely based on his taste buds but mostly tied with his health. Yes, Regis hated vegetables with almost the same passion as his son. However his body had to be as fit as possible with the Ring of Lucis on his finger.

Over the years, his majesty learnt so swallow his pride along with saltless salads, thick, tasteless smoothies and textureless soups.

Gods, he missed coffee!

However today as a celebration of Noctis' excellent scores on all of his tests and despite the horror of an army of cooks, dieticians, maids and cleaning ladies, here he was sitting on a throne, still wearing his regal get up, with a Styrofoam container on his lap and thick sauce dribbling down his beard.

King Regis, for the first time since forever, was eating a burger with fries on the side, gulping it down with a can of soft drink haphazardly placed on an throne armrest. While his son, prince Noctis, was leaning against his legs, and was happily munching his dish, despite the lettuce leaves, tomato slices and even raw onion rings, as if eating junk food in the throne room with his father was the best thing he could ask for.

Well, that was the best thing king Regis could ask for.

"dad?"

"hm?" King grunted, mouth full of food.

"I would turn that burger up-side-down if I were you."

"how come?" King furrowed his brows in reply.

"it's about thickness of the bun." Noctis explained and lifted his own meal in the air for showcasing "the bottom part is thinner so it gets soggy quicker than the top part"

In response the king inspected his meal, his son was right, the bottom of his burger was so drenched with dressings, fat and water it was literally falling apart in his hands.

"that's a clever solution" the king praised his son, immediately rearranging the food item in his hands.

"ah… Prompto taught me that!" Noctis admitted "commoners have a lot of ideas how to improve their lives."

"isn't that so?" King chuckled, wondering what else his son picked up from his friend.

"yeah! they call them _life hacks!_ "


	8. CAMERA III

**Disclaimer:** _Final fantasy XV_ © Square Enix

 **A/N:** from time to time, I'll rearrange the chapters for a better flow. So check out the table of content if you're not missing any of them!

* * *

 **CAMERA III**

There was something oddly satisfying with having an arcane knowledge. OK, Prompto didn't have arcane knowledge _per se_ , but if broken ribs taught him anything, it would be to study the law that directly affected him. Apart of reading about savior-vivre, Prompto slowly navigated through copyright law and boundaries of photography especially in regards of royalty.

It was easy really. It all boiled down to few simple guidelines: acquire all necessary permits and keep your distance, like - kilometers of it – frame only from waist-up, without flash, no compromising situations or attires. Even when it seems like a good idea to snap a photo and his majesties didn't mind it at all – waist-ups, kilometers of distance, no compromising situations, mind the attire and no flash were still a must.

The girl from his class sobbed when a Glaive confiscated her cellphone. Of course, even if it was a mandatory school trip the rules still applied - no recording equipment was to be brought into the castle and it's grounds unless... Just as the guard reached his hand for Prompto's camera, the high schooler held up his ID holder for the guard to see.

"ah, so you're _the kid_ " The man grunted as he inspected the piece of plastic.

The solider took something from the pouch of his uniform – a roll of stickers as it turned out - then plastered one to seal the flash-lamp of Prompto's camera.

"I don't have to teach you the rules" the man stated, not asked.

"nah! I'm good" the blond teen chirped.


	9. CAMERA IV

**Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy XV is a _Square Enix_ property. I just write my silly little stories about it from time to time.

 **A/N:** I have a headcanon regarding ties of high school uniform that both Prompto and Noctis wear: The ties signify the profile of the class. Prompto and Noctis belongs to smaller classes of different profiles but have joined subjects like math, language classes, etc. So they are considered classmates, but technically are not.

* * *

 **Camera IV**

It was Gladiolus' first day at the job. Or rather, it was his mandatory traineeship - a rite of passage for every Glaive candidate. Gladio was grateful for his post - guarding doors, even as unimportant as these doors, were still more to his liking than fetching coffee all day.

His mentor, Glaive known as Sigimund, excused himself for 'a moment' to 'take a leak', that was good half-an-hour ago. Gladio didn't mind, he took a thin book from the back pocket of his uniform – mandatory reading.

A spot of yellow zipped at the corner of his eye. The yellow smudge turned out to be a teenager who threw his backpack to the corner of the room, gently placed a leather casing on the floor, opened it and took a camera with extreme care.

The intruder was wearing a high-school uniform - the same as the prince: Standard blazer, jeans, green tie - sports profile. Noctis, if Gladiolus remembered correctly, had a blue tie – comprehensive class.

The teenager crouched before a mantel made of black marble, took a photo, checked it, frowned, adjusted lenses, took another shot, checked the result, smiled, stood up.

Gladio weighed his options: The kid could be a wayward student of one of many school trips the citadel has every so often – a loony photographer-wanna-be who though rules didn't apply to him, or son of a diplomat or something... or even a Niff's spy pretending to be an oblivious highschooler!

"hey! you!" Gladio shouted, his hobnailed boots were clicking loudly against the bare floor, echoing in the silence of the stuffy room full of paintings and sculptures.

The blond seemed not hear him as he took a photo of a death mask of 10th King of Lucii. The blond was, quite literally, bending over backwards to take that shot – a pose so spine-bending it could fill any yoga master with shame.

Gladio was right behind him now, he could just grab the kid by the shoulders and demand answers. The boy tripped instead. He fell backward with a yelp.

"who are you!?" Gladio demanded, towering above the lying teenager "aren't you supposed to be at school? Where is your tour group? Do you even have permission to photos?"

The blond looked at him, his eyes big and confused. He clutched the camera to his chest, like a mother would cradle a newborn.

"Gladiolus!" the voice boomed in emptiness, he could recognize it everywhere "what seems to be the problem?"

"your majesty!" Gladio responded, immediately straightening himself to salute "he, sire… he was taking photos!" the glaive-in-training almost lost his composure, it sounded so silly.

The king frowned.

"as he should be" the king replied flatly "are you all right?" the question was directed to the blond photographer.

Still sprawled on the floor, still hugging the camera to his chest, the teenager darted his look from the glaive-to-be to the king of Lucis.

"yeah, this one didn't tackled or anything" he responded as he gathered himself from the floor "I'm all right, thank you, your majesty"

"Gladiolus please, do not disturb him anymore" The king asked "the deadline is dire, otherwise I wouldn't dismiss Prompto from school"

"deadline, sire?"

"we're releasing an anniversary photo album next month, but since sir George is in hospital, I choose Prompto as his replacement"

"he is replacement, sire? for royal photographer?" Gladio asked dumbfounded, watching as the teen took a photo of him and his majesty talking, then resumed his work as if nothing ever happened.

"of course sir George approved my decision" The king smiled and walked away, the rhythmic clanking on his cane and snapping of a camera shutter echoed against the bare marble corridor.


End file.
